George A. Romero just keeps plugging away. His legacy is secure in horror history – heck, in film history. So why keep at it? Mostly because he has plenty to say.

Let’s face it, his films, especially his zombie films, have such a strong social commentary that they entertain on a level that few horror films aspire to. The director/writer famously tackled consumerism, among other things, in "Dawn of the Dead" (1978). Now, Romero gives his take on this age of instant information. But come on, what to expect from a 67-year-old filmmaker? After viewing "Diary of the Dead," plenty.

A group of college kids, along with their alcohol-soaked teacher, are shooting a horror film in the middle of the Pennsylvania forest. They can’t believe what they hear, that the dead are coming back to life and are hungry.

Immediately, Ridley (Riccio), the lead actor and rich kid, takes off with his girlfriend to his family’s mansion. This leaves Jason (Close), who is filming everything through his video camera, along with his angry girlfriend, Debra (Morgan); their friend, Tony (Roberts); the teacher, Maxwell (Wentworth); lead actress, Tracy (Lalonde); and the tech guy, Eliot (Dinicol).

They head into the RV, all hoping to get home. Do they believe what they hear and later see in the RV’s television? At first maybe not, but after their first encounter with the dead along the road, the horror of the situation hits them.

The road takes them to what seems like a deserted hospital, to a run-in with a group of former National Guardsmen, and, in the film’s best sequence, to an Amish farmer whose deafness is far from a hindrance. Along the way, there are bloody (very bloody) casualties – the kids as well as the zombies.

Romero lowers the killings, but, for his fans, the gore is very creative. Most would think there aren’t any new ways to kill a zombie, but nobody told Romero that.

For example, a zombie gets acid splashed on his head, slowly melting it away as he staggers forward. There’s more, but why spoil it? Let’s just say the combination of old-fashioned makeup with CGI puts to shame most recent zombie films, both theatrical and direct-to-DVD.

As for the ever-present social commentary, it’s all here – the crutch that technology has become; the “it must be real, it’s on the Internet” mentality; the disillusionment with government; and strong anti-war statement.

The thing is the commentary never comes close to overbearing, never outshines the terror and creepy uneasiness that Romero still can generate. If that isn’t enough, how about the fact that Romero makes the view through a camera more than just the poor gimmick it was in The Blair Witch Project and the recent Cloverfield. Oh, and this is important: There’s never the shaky sick feeling of those other films.

So, to review: Here is a stripped down, low-budget horror film that’s creepy, gory, with strong social commentary, guided by a 67-year-old director who is still vital. It’s a horror masterpiece.